


Do you copy, Rover 2?

by texting_fangirl



Category: Star Trek, Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, fear of space, major character death more like another red shirt dying, some Doctor McCoy x Junior Nurse Reader for yall
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-11
Updated: 2017-12-14
Packaged: 2019-02-13 12:12:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,604
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12983811
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/texting_fangirl/pseuds/texting_fangirl
Summary: Who likes smaller missions?Who seriously would, knowing the possibility of something going wrong and one being left out there, floating through space, without a way back or anything to hold on to, just floating through darkness and cold.You certainly don't like those missions, and until now you were very able to avoid going on one.What happens when your commanding Officer McCoy changes that and halfway through realizes the consquences - well.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [irishgirl321](https://archiveofourown.org/users/irishgirl321/gifts).



> I borrowed the exoglas from Doctor Who, and I gift this work to irishgirl321, who made me realize what a great character McCoy is to write about. And also her writing is some of the most enjoyable ever.

* * *

 

 

“I will most certainly NOT set foot outside this spaceship unless it’s on a shuttle heading back to fucking Earth, McCoy, thank you very much.”

You crossed your arms defiantly over your chest, holding on to your ScanPad, and stared up into the eyes of the Doctor. His jaw tensed and his usual look of exasperation surfaced.

He swallowed and lifted a finger.

“First of all, it’s still DOCTOR McCoy to you, Junior Nurse, and second, watch your language. You will do as I command you to on this ship, this IS what you signed up for when you accepted your spot in the academy and on board this ship, and I will not tolerate insubordinates. If you do not wish to serve your one designated purpose on this bloody spacecraft then be welcome to spend the rest of our mission’s time in one of the cells as a deserter, is that understood?”

He fell quiet and resolved to staring you down.

The resolute anger that had blossomed in your chest earlier, that had conveniently hidden the deep fear of the endless void waiting beyond the exoglas-windows of the Enterprise, thinned out under his merciless eyes.

The air in the MedBay was a drier than in the hallways or the sleeping quarters and it made your eyes water under the prolonged contact without blinking.

The additional wetness played into the rising sense of dread that began to build in the pit of your stomach, and even though you fought hard and long, you knew that soon the first tear would fall.

Not wanting to cry in front of your superior like this, you lifted your chin and furrowed your brows before closing your eyelids and turning on your heel. You only opened them again after you were sure McCoy was in your back, and then proceeded to stride out of the MedBay, clutching the Pad to your stomach.

The mechanical doors whirred as they automatically closed behind you.

 

 

Space. A truly fascinating concept, and the fact humanity was able to travel on the interstellar level now, had connected with so many species out there – marvellous.

And yet the underlying fear you’d have to go out there by yourself, only protected by a space-suit, something to go horribly wrong and leaving you drifting through the endless cold, alone...

No matter how many simulations you ran on the Holo-Deck, no matter how much literature you read on that matter, it wouldn’t go away. Staying on board and not unnecessarily leaving it had been a great tactic, and so far nobody had requested your presence on a minor mission.

Until today, on which McCoy had apparently thought the best way to torture his currently only Junior Nurse was by sending her on such a mission.

The details had yet to be shared by him, but it was enough already.

Setting foot outside the Enterprise? Miles and miles from any habited planet out there? ...possibly with the option of a wire ripping and sending you hurling away without a way to get you back?

Hell no.

                               

_Hell no_ , you muttered to yourself as you hurried towards the elevator, shoulders hunched forward and still protectively curled around the ScanPad.

The doors slid open to reveal two people in yellow shirts, and after blinking up at them you recognized Pavel and Kirk.

“Captain.” You curtly said as the two exited. “Pavel.”

“Hej... Vats wrong, ______?” The young Russian asked, the initial joy about seeing you turning into concern.

With a side-eye to the Captain, who hadn’t taken special notice of you and was already three steps ahead down the corridor towards the MedBay, your eyebrows knit together as a smile appeared on your lips.

“Nothing, I’m fine. Thank you.” Your finger pressed the button for the mess hall level all by itself as you entered the now empty compartment.

The boy with the curly hair gave you one last worried look before the doors slid shut and the capsule began to move.

 

 

You were indeed on your third mug of chee – a mixture of tea and chocolate that wasn’t actually a cross of those two things but tasted like it – when you saw a chest clad in blue approach. Grinding your teeth and pointedly looking down into the mug, you most certainly ignored the male closing in on you.

Your shoulders were still tense when he sat down directly behind you, on the bench for the opposite table.

Mess Hall wasn’t packed at this time of day, and so the corner you had sat down in was empty except for yourself and now the Doctor.

You took another sip of your drink and stared at the polished metal surface of the desk that was bolted to the floor.

Another minute of silence followed, and you were unsure if McCoy was still there.

 

“You know.” His voice rose, and it wasn’t hard from commanding like before. It was softer, friendlier. The displeasure from earlier was still sitting in your bones, and even though you knew he had acted on his own orders, had done nothing out of protocol, he had still overstepped invisible boundaries you had set at some point. Had crossed a moral line using his authority like that, but he had every right to and you felt like you shouldn’t ponder too long about it. “You could have told me you disliked small missions for a reason.”

There was the distinct, soft noise of a hand thudding against metal, and you imagined him looking off straight ahead while talking to you.

You kept quiet and stared down into your mug.

It was a pretty mug, not one of the communal ones, your very own one. It had a karabiner instead of a loop to grip – very practical - , and there were various stylized camping items printed on it. They were all a bit faded, due to being washed by dishwashers on Earth frequently, but one could still make them out. Over-thinking about your mug, you had almost successfully pushed away the fact your superior sat in your back and was trying to make up or something.

“Hey, listen kid-“

“I’m not a kid, Doctor McCoy.” You interrupted him, voice emotionless. You took another sip.

“-right, you’re just what, half my age?”

 

You swallowed another sip and quietly lifted your eyebrows while hearing him huffing out a sigh and apparently realizing his words weren’t helping.

He seemed to contemplate for another minute before he turned around on his seat, being greeted with your back.

“______.”

So he was using only your name now.

“That’s still Junior Nurse ______ to you, Mr. Doctor McCoy. And if you’ll excuse me, I have urgent business at my work station to attend to.” You mimicked his way of addressing you earlier while rising from the bench.

You took on walking without another look back, leaving an annoyed Doctor behind.

 

The next hours you spend in the MedBay, spraying every surface with disinfectant and wiping them clear of whatever could have settled on them in the short space of 12 hours. You sorted through the medicine shots still available, made notes on which kind would expire in the near future and which ones would be needed to replenished at the next harbour, and had almost gotten over the little disagreement from earlier when you docked your ScanPad into its station before leaving the Bay for the gym and then sleeping quarters.

 

As you lifted your weights you overheard a couple of guys talking about a system of smaller planets you would be passing in two days. All unhabited  – with supplies, but without life forms of higher intelligence.

Maybe it was this mission McCoy had wanted to talk with you about, visiting the small system, and you silently regretted over-reacting and cutting him off early like that. Especially when he hadn’t known – but he had while sitting with you in Mess Hall, hadn’t he?

Who could have told him about your deeply rooted fear of the void?

Another push at the training machine and you went through the list of people that could have told him.

The answer came soon and was as simple as it was annoying.

Pavel.

It had to have been him.

After rinsing the sweat off your body and once again missing the showers with warm water from Earth, you boarded the elevator and pressed the button for the Bridge, hoping to find him there.

“Junior Nurse ______, permission to enter the Bridge?”

Hands folded behind your back and sticking strictly to protocol out of laziness, you waited with your boot’s tips not across the invisible line that marked the threshold of the commanding room.

“Granted.” Someone said, and you moved into the iconic room.

The chair in the middle was empty, but to your delight you spotted familiar curls in front of the wide exoglas looking out over a large part of the ship.

 

“Chekov.” You dropped nonchalantly, and leaned your hip against the desk the Russian was working at.

“Yez, ______? Iz something vrong, now?”

He paused in typing something with his pen and looked up from the blue screen.

“I was just wondering; did you tell McCoy about my relationship to Space?”

You looked up from your fingernails in time to see him looking away, and knew you had the culprit.

“Look, Pilot-boy, while I don’t like to talk about it, I like it even less when other people, my superior in this case, gets to know about one of the few flaws I’ll be never able to fully erase with only smiling and pretence. So next time, please-“

“He vaz vorried, oke _______?” The watery blue eyes met with yours again, and you were surprised by the honest worry in them. “He vaz vondering if he had done something vrong and he didn’t seem to know and- Ai apologize for telling him, ______, but he really means vell. You should truzt him.”

The boy shook his head and hung it a bit, and the mild anger you had felt towards him evaporated.

Working with McCoy was easy, and it always had been since you had taken the position in the Enterprise’s MedBay. Maybe Pavel was right, and maybe you should trust McCoy – Leonard - with personal things like that – he wasn’t only your boss, he was a friend, and slowly you felt bad for keeping that facet of yourself from him.

Playing over the sympathy that welled up inside you at the sight of your well-meaning friend and the remorse his words had awoken in you, you pinched the bridge of your nose and shook your head.

 “Just- forget it.”

You strode off and headed straight for the sleeping quarters.

 

* * *

 

 

“I knew this was a bad idea.” You mumbled to yourself, annoyed but at the same time utterly petrified. “How can something easy like this even go so horribly wrong~”

“Would you please shut up, ______? I’m trying to work here!” The mechanic – one of the many the Enterprise housed – turned towards you and pointed a wrench at you.

The signal between the smaller shuttle and the main ship had collapsed half an hour ago, right after the ship had broken through the layer of clouds on this planet, and instead of searching for a list of plants McCoy had handed to you tight-lipped before departure, you were now sitting next to the red shirt whose name you had forgotten as soon as he had mentioned it, and handed him tools whenever he demanded them.

Another 30 minutes later Red Shirt lifted his head from the panel responsible for transmissions, and he confidently wiped across his forehead before propping his suits’ helmet back on before saying:

“This should do it. Calling Enterprise, Enterprise, can you hear me?”

No reply.

 

Without warning something big hit the outer side of the shuttle, the whole construction shook and you reflexively reached out to hold on to something.

 “What was that?”

Your eyes caught the mechanic’s gaze. “Enterprise, do you copy?” You spoke, almost meekly, into your helmet’s microphone, while the silence stretched to infinity.

“Th...s ...e..gn...s...e. r...-“

Static. There was a signal, but it was nowhere near as strong as it should have been.

Sweat began to run down your temples as something that sounded like claws dug into the ground outside.

“Can the shuttle start?” You asked, turned towards the mechanic, throwing the orders given into the wind.

The guy’s forehead crinkled in worry.

“I should be able t-“

Another hit and you almost lost your footing.

Without another word he stumbled forward, towards the pilot’s seat, while you tapped on a screen on the wall, activating the shuttle’s outer cameras to see what exactly was repeatedly attacking you.

After scanning and filtering the various types of slight radiation outside, a picture cleared.

For a moment it was empty, just showing the patch of dry dirt the shuttle had landed on.

A smaller spot caught your view as it approached fast, and after another heartbeat you identified it as something that resembled something like a rhino. It steered straight towards the shuttle, obviously thinking of it as a threat, and it’s broad forehead -  or what you assumed was its forehead – lowered, ready to hit the strange metal construction again.

“Outer hull – Damage” sounded a voice through the shuttle’s intercom after the first scans were done.

“Start, NOW!” You shouted, as the rhino-like being came into better view. It’s skin had a shine to it, almost like the chitin armour of bugs.

“Outer hull – Damage. Do not advise start.”

“Start! This thing doesn’t look too friendly and I know enough about insects to know our phasers won’t do much against it!”

The engines roared to life and you barely had time to sit down before the acceleration pulled you back.

There was pressure on your ears, but the screen that was still brightly lit, showed the thing had missed the shuttle and was now stumbling about, confused, while you shot up towards the sky.

“We should find another spot to land on, I’m not sure if the shuttle would survive the trip back to the Enterprise.” The mechanic’s voice was sounding a bit metallic as you relied on the suit’s intercom, the machines being too noisy to understand much otherwise.

You reached out and managed to turn the camera and scan angles on the screen as he brought the craft into the horizontal.

“Negative. It looks like there’s a whole colony of those things moving in, and the scans don’t show another place as good to land on. We’d have to go to a completely different part of this planet.”

You suppressed the rising panic and swallowed.

“I hear you, JN. Enterprise, do you copy?”

More static, and you leaned your head back against the wall.

 

Why in the world didn’t you listen to your Dad telling you how he didn’t want you to enlist, who had avoided it himself. Why why why.

Space was dangerous, and empty, and cold, and it didn’t owe you anything so why should it be friendly?

“Okay, we’re moving out JN. Sit tight!”

You were tempted to pray when the shuttle’s engines’ whirr became high pitched as it tried to break atmosphere and enter space, but none of the various deities you had gotten to know through various members of other species appealed to you in this instance.

“Please please please...” Was all you could mumble as the whirr got painfully loud, and for a moment you felt gravity pulling with a tenfold energy, so it seemed, it felt like the shuttle wouldn’t be able to break atmosphere, could almost feel it falling back to the earth below-

 

But then it won over the planet’s pull, the clouds in front of the small windows in the pilot’s cabinet cleared and the vast darkness welcomed you back.

“-prise, do you copy Rover 2? Rover 2, here’s Enterprise, I repeat, do you copy?”

The voice of the woman in the control room rang through, still a bit dull, and you almost laughed.

“Enterprise, here’s Rover 2, copy. We landed but got attacked by a large life-form, potential harm to the outer hull. We’re both alright and on our way back now, over.”

“Thank god you’re alright. We lost contact to all the other Rover shuttles, you’re the first one to respond. Head back to the Enterprise, we’re awaiting further commands, over.”

“Roger that.”

_Losing contact to a dozen shuttles?_

Something wasn’t quite right in this system.

“Where’s the Enterprise?” You asked, seeing how the white spaceship was nowhere near in sight. The mechanic grumbled something and bend forward to take another look outside.

“I guess the planet’s rotation and our little trip got us out on the other side, the one that’s not facing our Mothership. See, there’s this system’s source of life – their sun.” He pointed to a star that shone brighter and stood out against the background of black. “We have enough fuel to make it back, though, so don’t worry.”

He began to steer the shuttle in a wide circle to fly around the small planet that lay, glistening in clouds and blinking bodies of water, underneath you, completely oblivious to its feisty inhabitants. You went back to your seat. Forcefully not thinking about anything, you stared at the screen at the opposite wall, which depicted a radar-scan of your immediate surroundings as well as a small scan of the shuttle itself.

Something blinked on it, and you leaned forward and tapped on it to enlarge the scan.

The right side of the shuttle’s scan blinked in red, and you were about to turn to Red Shirt to ask about it when a low thumping sound was heard and the engines died.

“What was that.”

“The animal must have hit the section connecting the fuel tanks, I can’t seem to... The first tank is empty, and I can’t... The connection between the tanks is interrupted, they can’t switch. Damnit!”

A fist connected with the main board and you jumped.

Your fingers gripped the seat tighter.

_Just don’t make me go out there by myself, please just don’t make me go outside..._

“I’ll have to go outside and check if I can fix it.”

You choked and coughed at the comment, relief washing over you.

 

Red Shirt moved out of the pilot’s seat and gesticulated for you to take his place.

“I’ll go see what I can do outside, you stay inside and read me the scans. If there’s anything out of the usual, I have to know. Understood?”

“Yes.”

His words were stern but not angry, tense but focused. He was a good deal older than you, and you were almost certain if anyone had the experience to get you out of this, it was him.

“What’s your name again?” You asked as he calmly floated next to the door leading to the pilot’s seat, waiting for you to pass through so he could activate the separation.

“Mike.” He said, and then punched a number into a keypad to the side.

The pilot’s cabin closed off and the oxygen was pumped out of the other part of the spacecraft.

“Keep an eye on the readings.” Mike reminded you before he unlocked the door and a warning noise sounded, alerting the opening.

He floated outside and you turned your eyes on the various screens and buttons in front of you.

 

“What am I looking for exactly?” You asked.

“Anything. Just read me everything turning up.”

You proceeded in doing just that, reading out loud numbers and words that didn’t make any sense to you.

Mike seemed to understand, though, and after another few minutes he interrupted your staccato reading with a triumphant “Aha!”

He hailed the Enterprise, giving a short status update.

 

During the talk you kept quiet, listening only to the people speaking, eyes resting on the screens before you.

“Um Mike, there’s something coming closer on the scans!” You ungracefully interrupted, tapping on the corresponding one.

“A few hundred meters, moving in fast. Close formation of... I think asteroids or other space junk. Doesn’t look big.”

“Roger that.”

You couldn’t see it but you hoped he was moving back towards the entrance, for the radar showed the small spots of not entirely defined material coming closer rather quickly.

After a few heartbeats without further info, you turned around in your seat.

“Mike? Are you still there? Radar says the stuff is about to hi-“

A muffled scream interrupted your sentence and the ship nudged sideways.

“Mike? Mike!” You turned your head, but it didn’t make much of a difference. Your finger pushed the button to hail the Enterprise all by itself. “Enterprise, here’s Junior Nurse _______, I think Mike has been wounded, he doesn’t answer. Do you copy Enterprise?”

You wanted to get up and into the back of the spacecraft but were reminded it was currently disconnected from the pilot’s cabin when the closed door leading there wouldn’t open. 

"Safety door cannot be opened until the cargo door has been closed." The mechanical voice informed you.

“Mike! Can you hear me? Are you inside? Can I close the door?”

No answer.

To your dismal you noticed the shuttle was slowly moving sideways. You hadn’t gotten far away from the planet, and even though the movement was minimal you knew what would happen if you came back in reach of the gravitational field.

Your breathing sped up as you tried to stay calm. After closing your eyes for a moment and finding it not very helpful, you opened them again and turned back to the screens.

So many radars and none of which could depict the current state of the ship’s passengers?

After a bit of tapping and searching you scanned the interior.

The computer reported multiple smaller hits on the outer hull as well as some in the cargo area, and a lifeless human body halfway inside.

You sat back on the pilot’s seat and couldn’t breathe. There was nothing but darkness outside your windows, and the only other person out here with you was-

_How_ , asked a part of you, an automatic response to distract yourself.

The asteroids, maybe they had punctured his suit, had cut through the fabric, damaged it until the vacuum had sucked all air and warmth out of it.

“Enterprise.” You whispered, desperately pressing the button to establish a connection. “Can you copy?”

Silence.

 

Your breathing seemed too loud, too fast, your heartbeat loud like drums.

 

Seconds stretched into eternity.

 

Suddenly, static noise, and then the voice of the woman in the control room.

“Rover 2? Rover 2, do you copy! I lost you there for a moment, do you copy?”

A voice in the background caught your attention.

“No, no you don’t _understand_ , this is _my_ Junior Nurse you send out there, my-“

“Leonard?” You asked, voice flat, instead of responding to the call from the woman.

“______!”

His voice moved closer to the microphone, and after some shuffling it was speaking directly into your helmet.

“______, are you alright?”

Your eyes were wide, staring into nothing, your whole being concentrating on the voice of your superior.

You took a shaky breath.

“I’m, yes.” A pause in which none of you said anything. “Leonard I’m so scared.”

You pressed your eyes shut and took another breath to keep the tears at bay, but they were pricking your eyes again.

 

All eyes in the control room turned to McCoy, who was leaned forward on one of the control panels used to keep track on all spacecrafts in the immediate surroundings of the Enterprise. The woman, whose earpiece he had snatched, looked up to him as he stared on the floor of the room.

“I’m so scared.” It rang through the room’s speakers, him having accidentally activated the broadcast from the single intercom to the room’s larger one as he had taken the earpiece.

He needed a moment to collect himself.

Never before had he heard your voice like this. He had dealt with snarky comments, witty remarks, respectful but sometimes sly speaking, but this-

It hit him hard to hear you filled with fear, calling him by his first name like that.

He felt responsible, terrible he had sent you out there while knowing your fear, having gotten to known it just in the past days and yet not even grasping its extent.

A deep sense of protectiveness surged up inside him, and after another heartbeat he knew his voice wouldn’t waver.

“I know.” He spoke, and the gasp you made as his answer finally came was both painful and relieved. The two technicians that had debated over the damage report your spacecraft had automatically send back once the connection had been established lowered their heads. His eyebrows knit together.

“I know, ______, but I’m here now, okay? Just, just tell me what happened.”

 

In the spacecraft you leaned your head back and closed your eyes. After counting to ten you began to speak.

“There, there was a, small, small asteroid storm hea- heading our way, and ev, even though I warned him, Mik-ke didn’t come back in time, because he wan, he, ha, was outside checking if he could fix the pipes connecting the two fuel tanks because the first one was empty and the second one didn’t start right away and seemed to have troubles and I don’t know what happened, the scans say he’s halfway through the door but the shuttle won't let me unlock the seal to the pilot’s cabin so I can't go and look but my guess is some rock and shrapnel pierced his suit and drained the oxygen, but the hit was powerful enough to get us moving and even though it’s slow we didn’t get away from the planet too far and we might get pulled back down and with the engines not working we’d crash.”

Speaking was easier the more you did it, and after you had ended an eerie feeling clung into your middle.

“Leonard? Are you still there?” You asked after another minute of silence.

“Yes, ______, I’m here. Don’t worry, I’m here. Listen, I will leave the mission control room now, okay? I'll go get someone who can get you back, I’ll get in touch with you as soon as I can, don’t move, don’t press any buttons, mission control will keep talking to you. I will be back, I promise.”

The line went out momentarily and you blankly stared outside into the void again.

 

Inside the Enterprise McCoy lowered the earpiece.

“I want to get this Junior Nurse back on this godforsaken ship, now.” He pointed at the woman next to him, while the other operators present turned back to trying to reach their assigned Shuttles after breathlessly following the exchange.

“Sir, there’s hardly any-“

“Get her back here, now. I don’t care about official orders, I want her back on this ship, is that clear?”

The woman with surprisingly clear, honey coloured eyes frowned and stood up.

“I’m sorry, but as it is, we won’t be able to-“

The Doctor turned around and headed out of the room, straight towards the elevators.

There was always the option of beaming someone aboard, and he knew Chekov could work wonders were others failed.

As soon as the doors opened to the Bridge he was halfway across it.

 

“Bones!” Jim’s voice chirped up, apparently delighted to see his friend. “How’s the-“

“Not now, Jim.” The distressed tone seemed to effectively shut the younger blond up, for he closed his mouth and rose his hands.

“Oy, Chekov. You can beam anyone aboard within the planet system’s reach, can’t you?”

“Zir, I could try but zere-“

“Good. Come with me. Excuse us, Jim.” He pulled the young pilot out of the room and into the hallway, practically dragging him towards the control room for beaming.

“Ah ah, Zir? Vat iz ze problem, Sir?”

“______.” Was all the doctor said.

 

“_______? Are you there?”

McCoy’s voice said, loud and clear.

“Yes Leonard, I’m still here. Please get me out of here, please.”

In the minutes between talking to him the last time and now the shuttle had inched a lot closer to the planet below.

“We will, ______, I got Chekov to beam you out of there, sit tight and don’t move okay? We’re coming to get you.”

“Okay.” You breathed out. “Okay.”

Half a minute later white spots began to dance before your eyes and you closed them, feeling the warmth of the converting radiation.

Everything went white.

 

Then you fell, from a small height, onto the beaming-spots, rolled around on your back and stared up at the ceiling for a moment. Your heartbeat was all you could hear.

Then there was running, footsteps approaching, you fumbled with your helmet and managed to pull it off before Leonard crouched at your side.

“God, _____, don’t ever scare me like that again, do you hear me.” He ran a hand over your sweat-soaked hair, and you managed to huff out a laugh.

“Oh, oh Heavens.” Was all you could say before tears of relief ran over your face and reduced you to a sobbing mess on the floor.

You half stumbled, half fell off the beaming platforms while supported by McCoy, and once you reached the even floor you sat down and wouldn’t move. With a bit of help you managed to get halfway out of the suit, and once you were, Pavel came running and hugged you.

McCoy leaned back to give you some space, but after you had let go of Pavel you turned and reached out to him.

Something squeezed his heart as he bend forward and closed his arms around your shaking shoulders. The pain was sweet and warm and yet still stung, and he felt relief that you had made it out alive, so much.

“Don’t ever scare me like that again.” He whispered as he held your head, nestled under his chin, and closed his eyes.

 

 

After peeling out of the suit, a shower and a change into a fresh blue dress and short tights, you appeared in the MedBay for a check-up.

Pavel had beamed the dead mechanic back as well, and he was kept in a quarantine tent towards the back. Three nurses were putting on safety suits and proceeding to enter the tent. The MedBay was empty besides yourself and the tent, none of the beds taken.

When you stepped close to one of them and began to initiate the usual scans you heard a person moving behind you.

“Let me do that for you, okay?” His voice was strained, but warm and friendly. “Take a seat, please.”

“Don’t worry, I’m fine, I can do my own-“

“Please.” He said it again, and now there was no formality in his voice left.

You sat on the next bed and watched him tapping at the screens and only occasionally glancing at you.

 

“None of the others reported back yet?” You asked, eyes resting on the beds.

You saw from the corner of your eyes how he looked at you shortly.

“No, no one. But they’re working to get communication running, using the data your shuttle send over.”

He fell silent and proceeded to tap away on his Pad.

There were no injuries that turned up on the scanners, not even a trauma from the rapid start or the beaming. Apparently your heart rate was still accelerated and the density of hormones such as adrenalin unusually high, but that was to be expected.

When he was done you leaned forward and buried your face in your hands, feeling tears welling up again even though you knew you were safe, had nothing to worry about for the moment.

The scent of antiseptic wipes, disinfectant and medicine was calming you, and still the fear sat deep in your bones.

 

“It’s over. You’re safe.” A warm hand on your shoulder couldn’t bring you to look up.

You heard him grunt softly as he bend down to be on one level with you.

“Hey. ______.” The lack of formal titles prompted you to raise your eyes from the plastic floor. “It’s over.”

You stared into his blue eyes and got lost. “I know.”

His knees popped when he crouched down in front of you, and suddenly you were looking down on your superior who easily towered over almost everyone usually.

“You should have told me. I could have...” But his voice trailed off as you worried your eyebrows and stared past his face.

“Hey.” Carefully, hesitantly, the rough palm of his hand touched your left cheek and you closed your eyes as you leaned into the touch.

Your own hand came up and wrapped around the Doctor’s wrist and held it there when he wanted to move it. The tears you had sensed moments before slipped past your eyelids and you lowered your face to your lap in a childish attempt to hide it, despite holding McCoy’s hand to the side of your head.

A quiet “Damnit” escaped him when he moved and knelt on the floor, prying his arm out of your reach and closing his arms around you again.

 

It was a bit uncomfortable, almost folded in half, to lean on McCoy for longer than you needed until the heavy sobs lightened again, and soon after, you straightened up.

McCoy did, too, and now he was staring down on you like many times before.

With a sigh you reached out and he took your hand, helping you to your feet.

After standing there for a moment and not letting go, your thumb ran over the back of his hand.

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you before. I should have.”

He shifted his weight from one foot to the other and sighed. “Ah, you know, it’s fine. Just tell me if something’s bothering you the next time.”

His gaze was fondly resting on you, and a warm feeling buzzed in your chest as you mirrored his action.

 

Leonard took a breath, as if to say something, when the doors to the MedBay opened and a group of people entered, loudly chattering and gesticulating.

Some were still wearing their suits, and you breathed in recognizing some of their faces from the short briefing before departure hours ago.

Other crewmembers had found their way back to the Enterprise, and without hesitating you walked towards them and began guiding them to the beds, preparing the scans and talked to them.

Leonard allowed himself to look for another moment before he focused on his own patient, but he kept on sneaking glances to where you were buzzing around, feeling eternally grateful to have you back here.


	2. Chapter 2

“No, Idriv, I really-“ You struggled against the firm claw on your lower arm, but the Captain’s grip was too strong.

“Nonsense! ______,  let me introduce you to my old acquaintance!” He seemed excited enough, so you sighed and gave in.

The music around you was loud, the beats powerful, vibrating through your chest and already beginning to knock on your temples.

“Are you sure he’s here?” You shouted into the ear-hole of the Inqonian, who only turned around half-way and nodded eagerly.

“Yes, he’s right at the bar! Come along!”

You tried to look the long row of chairs and various life-forms sitting there up and down, but through the masses of celebrating cadets, Starfleet Officers and other personnel it was difficult to catch a gap between the heads long enough to get a good glimpse at who your Captain could be heading for.

Without your heeled shoes you had little to no chance of getting your head above the crowd, and if it hadn’t been for Idriv walking before you and parting the mob you were sure you’d have taken a good deal longer to cross the room.

As it was, you reached the bar a lot quicker than you had expected, and the short moments before your companion gave a triumphant hoot, you spent looking at the people currently occupying chairs next to you.

“Ahah!” The Inqonian let out, and you turned your head interested. The curled claws unhooked from around your arm and reached out to pat a shoulder clad in leather, belonging to what seemed to be a human with a shock of dark hair who had been sitting with their back turned to the dancefloor. With a last, reassuring look and a victorious gleam in his eyes, Idriv took hold of the person.

At the sudden touch the person began to turn.

 “______, I’d like you to meet my good friend-“ Your eyes ran over the face, took in the slight stubble, the straight eyebrows and then widened slightly when they locked on the dark blue eyes underneath.

“-Leonard.” You interrupted Idriv and finished his sentence.

Surprise and then joy flooded McCoy’s face as he recognized you.

A wide smile opened on your face, tainted by disbelief.

“______.” He remarked.

“Waite, you know each other?” Idriv stood between you, looking a bit left out. The overflowing emotions quickly cleared from Leonard’s features as his eyes left yours and glanced at the Inqonian between you.

“We, eh, worked together for some time.” Leonard informed your Captain, and signalled one of the bartenders.

“Amazing! She never mentioned you!” Without hesitation Idriv climbed the empty chair next to Leonard.

You winced at the straightforwardness and unashamed curiosity that was a prominent trait of every Iqonian, and hastily took a sip of the drink that had been set before you.

“Is that so?” Leonard mumbled, barely loud enough for you to register he had said anything, before also taking a sip of his own beverage. You avoided his scrutinizing gaze and focused on your drink instead.

 

* * *

 

 

“So, are you gonna ignore me the whole night?”

Two arms placed themselves on the handrail running along the third floor overlooking the party room below that was sheltered from weather by a protective layer of glass. It also kept the loud music at a bearable level, and out here the sounds from the city around you were more prominent than the dull pulses of beats from underneath.

You didn’t look at him but instead lifted your eyes to the glass pavilion overhead, through which artificial moonlight streamed.

 “I’m not... ignoring you, McCoy.” You toyed with the empty bottle in your hands and after a moment glanced over.

You caught him looking, and turned your eyes away. There was too much sincerity, too much emotion in those dark eyes; too much to stomach so unexpectedly.

“Sure thing.” He said under his breath. “So. I guess you like your new position? Heard you were promoted to Second in Command of the Octavia’s MedBay? My congratulations.”

“Stop it.” You looked up and met his eyes, and whatever he had wanted to say next got stuck in his throat.

“I’m, sorry, I guess.” His voice was calmer now, as he looked down to where his fingers interlaced, and for a moment he seemed a lot older than the last time you had seen him. “It’s just been so long since...”

He didn’t say it, but both of you knew what had been the last time you had seen each other. Reminded of the painful memory, you turned your head straight again and looked over the bustling city below.

“Hmm.” You said. “I know. Listen, I’m sorry I requested a transfer after...”

Your eyebrows knit together and you dipped your head.

“It’s just, the Enterprise never was the same after Pavel died.” Your eyes locked on a spot on the glass below and yet they saw nothing.

From the corner of your eye you noticed Leonard first hanging his head, then straightening his whole posture before turning around and crossing his arms.

“Yeah well, Enterprise never really was the same after you left, either.”

There was no way avoiding it, your eyes flashed back up to his face.

There was no irony in his voice, no trace of sarcasm on his face, and the sincere honesty was like a pinprick to your heart.

Your lips pulled down in an unhappy frown. You shifted your weight from one foot to the other and blinked a few times before sneaking another glance at Leonard’s face. Eventually his gaze flickered over to yours, and this time the sadness etched lines into his features.

Another pinprick to your heart, but this time you couldn’t look away.

“I’m sorry.” You whispered, meaning it.

“No way in changing that, now.” His voice was thicker than usual, and he cleared his throat. “So, Idriv really is Captain now, is he? Didn’t think he’d make it.”

Leonard looked away and you did, too, taking on the change of subject.

“He’s still learning. Not as crazy as Kirk, though.” You managed a chuckle, and after a breathless moment Leonard tsked.

“You tell’n me. That moron ‘t gettin’ any wiser with more missions, trust me.” He crossed his arms and glowered at nothing in particular, and a smile stole on your face. It was almost like old times, him complaining about your young Captain and his recklessness to you.

“How do you know Idriv, though? Back from the Academy or...?”

Leonard nodded, and you pushed off the handrail to rest your hip against it, facing the same direction as the older male now. “Yeah. Patched him up when I was in training and he stumbled out of an alleyway right in front of me and Jim one night. He came back to thank me later, and we sort of kept in touch... would be a little far-fetched to call him a friend, but if you’re a guy like Idriv, I guess ya do.”

You nodded, silently agreeing on his last sentence. Another question burned on your tongue, but you almost swallowed it before asking. “How is everyone?”

“Well,” Leonard started, raising his eyebrows. “Spock is still an idiot with a stick up his ass, and the fact he’s been with Uhura for this long now didn’t change shit. He’s getting better at detecting sarcasm now, though, you gotta watch your mouth when talking ‘round him. Sulu is teaching the Crew fencing in his spare time, to, y’know, let off some steam – hey don’t laugh, he says it’ll come handy one time!” He pointed an accusing finger at your chuckling form.

“Uhura is great. She’s learning new languages every week or so. Scotty is still tinkering and trying to find ways to improve this and that – really though, nothing too bad. Although there was the incident where he had to hotwire the ship’s core and only nearly killed us all...”

He trailed off, getting lost in memories. You glanced at him, and a fond smile stole on your lips. Leonard would hardly ever know that he looked the most at peace in these moments; rambling about his friends and crewmates, even though he looked grumpy and sounded annoyed while doing it. You knew he loved everyone to bits and pieces, and it was yet another pinprick in your heart to know you had left all this behind.

“And me, well y’know, Jim let me collect some tribbles, so there’s that. My nurses are all a bit flimsy but they do their job just fine.” A short pause. “What about you? Got any news?”

You narrowed your eyes and gave him a calculating look. His eyebrows were raised and he had an expecting expression on his features.

“What do you mean? I’m doing good, alright.”

“Well young lady I’ve seen the way Idriv looks at his Head Doctor’s Assistant.” A crooked smile played on his features, and he fell silent. It was enough to make you roll your eyes.

“C’mon McCoy, him? He’s nice but... that’s it. I doubt there has been an Inqonian-human relationship before, our species are just too different. Not to say I’m against such a thing but, he really is just a good collegue.”

“I’ve heard they’re quite good at maintaining families and such.” He made a point of looking you up and down, a twinkle in his eyes.

“Hey, are you saying I’m getting old? It’s only been five years, McCoy, that’s not that long.”

A pause followed your words.

The playful mood that had taken over during the small jesting subsided quickly.

_Five years._

 

It hadn’t felt that long, but looking at your former superior now – it reminded you time had gone on for him as well, and not just you.

When you looked at him the next time, you began to really see him. There was faint silver mixing into the dark brown at his temples, the lines in his face appeared deeper and the slightly more than five o’clock shadow certainly played into it as well.

Leonard looked up and seemed to take you in as well, for after a while he dropped his gaze to his feet.

“Look at you, all grown up now. Your hair got so long.” His eyes flickered up to the bun on the back of your head that had hardly been able to form when you had left the Enterprise. Sluggish, you reached up and your fingers pulled the long strands free of where they were kept neat and tidy, partly to show him, partly to get some of the creeping headache away. It fell past your shoulders, almost reaching the middle of your back. He smiled.

“I’m really glad to hear you’re doing well in your job.”

This time his voice wasn’t bitter, but it didn’t make it easier for you. You huffed.

“Not able to take a compliment, ______?” He playfully jabbed. When you looked up, the twinkle was almost gone from his eyes already.

You didn’t say anything, and silence fell on the two of you again.

It was so easy, to just stand up here with him, talking and making jokes. He had slid down the handrail a bit, his longer legs splayed out in front, and his lowered position brought him on almost the same height as you.

You watched how his face scrunched up as he studied the ground intensely, before taking a breath and raising his voice again.

“You know, the medical team’s good, they’re good people, but sometimes they’re a bit stuck up. They’re missing ya.”

You waited, for him to look up at you, but he didn’t, and after a while you looked straight ahead again. Something stirred deep inside your chest, and a sigh didn’t make the pressure go away.

“I’m missing them, too.”

He peeled away his eyes and dared to look over, and a drop of warmth fell into the pit of his stomach. The soft lights from above shone highlights on your hair, the way you were looking down made your lashes appear longer than usual. When they fluttered up and your eyes shyly glanced at him, he found himself unable to break the contact.

His lower lip quivered with the hundreds of unsaid words he had laid out should he ever cross your path again, but having Idriv reintroduce you to him at this Star-base, at this time... it had come as a surprise, and it had laid ruin to every carefully structured sentence that had built in his thoughts at some point.

A soft smile tugged on one corner of his mouth, and he offered you a hand. After an initial moment of looking uncertain you reached out and placed your smaller hand in his.

 

You felt him closing his smooth fingers around yours before gently tugging.

Without much resistance you let him pull you into a hug.

When the side of your face was pressing into his shirt you closed your eyes and took a breath. His clothes held some of the smell that were inherently screaming ‘MedBay’, but there was his own fragrance and the alcohol he had consumed mixing in.

The next breath you took was a bit shaking. “I’ve missed you, Leonard.”

Instead of an answer, you felt him bending down and placing his cheek on top of your head as he tightened his arms, pulled you closer and buried a hand in your hair. His chest under your arms expanded as he took a deep breath, and when he exhaled and the fingers in your hair, on your back, momentarily squeezed you closer, you knew he had missed you, too.

The hug lasted, but it wasn’t one of those one wanted to escape out of, so you didn’t mind nudging into his chest a bit further and relished in the feeling of safety and home that settled into your body.

It felt good to be hugged like this again, the sense of being needed and at the same time reassured – a bear hug not many were able to give.

The constant drumming of Leonard’s heartbeat was louder than the music from below, and you tried to encapsulate the feeling, the moment, never wanting it to end.

The warm feeling that had always been present among your friends aboard the Enterprise bloomed in your stomach again, a fuzzy love going deeper than words could describe, and you smiled.

Eventually you took a step back, and he let you. Hesitantly, your eyes met his again, and when they did the bright smile on your lips dimmed. The silver light from above created a halo around his hair, and parts of it reflected in his eyes.

The longer you looked, the more you were reminded of all the happy memories you had shared with him, had made on board of the Enterprise. When a fresh breeze swept over the building you wrapped your arms around yourself and looked to where it had came from.

“We should get back inside.” You said, and your voice wasn’t wavering, wasn’t hinting at the inner turmoil raging behind your face.

“Yeah, we better do. Don’t wanna catch a cold just a day before leaving.” He grunted at the thought and pushed off the handrail, jogging up to where you stood and falling into a leisured pace by your side. The staircase that led down was on the other side of the roof, and you were fast approaching.

“You’re leaving tomorrow?” You asked nonchalantly, trying to make the disappointment less audible.

Leonard seemingly hadn’t picked up on it when he held open the glass door for you to walk through, instead an almost wistful look displaying on his features.

“Been here for about two weeks now, ship needed some fixing on the outside and our supplies were restocked... and there’s this new antidote to hyperiolongitis* I’ve been waiting to test forever. Took an awful long time to get them to dispatch my order. Unbelievable, and they call themselves advanced!” He broadly gesticulated and probably referred to the whole of the Star-base.

As you silently listened a thought appeared in your mind. As Leonard made a pause in his talking, you ceased the opportunity and took a step ahead to face him. He stopped, amusement and curiosity playing on his face.

“Mind if I take a look around the Enterprise? I know it hasn’t been that long, but, you know... First ship I served on and stuff.” A sheepish smile graced your face as you hopefully looked up at Leonard, who licked his lips and tried to stifle a grin.

“I guess there’s nothing stopping us from taking a tour.” He grudgingly gave in, but the half-heartedly hidden smile told a whole different story.

 

The bar you had been at was an experimental, slightly newer one, and located not too far from the repair docks. Before stepping outside the building you looked around a last time, not entirely sure why.

“Wanna ask you Captain if I’m allowed to take my former Junior Nurse on a trek ‘round her old ship?” Leonard asked in your ear, and you turned your head to smile at him. He had bend down to reach the level of your hearing, and as it was you were both on the same height. Someone rudely made their way past and he took a step forward after straightening his posture, and his presence in your back was a welcome feeling.

“Nah, I think I’m old enough to make my own decisions. He knows how to reach me.” You waved your communicator around before turning and leading the way out onto the street and the small line of shuttles waiting.

 

“Wow!” You said as you walked into the main room and Leonard flicked on the lights. They illuminated the whole space, unlike the emergency lights which had only highlighted exits and other important stuff.

“Impressive, right.” He mused, staying by the door as you took in the beds, shelves and displays.

“Nothing changed!” You grinned back to where he stood and let your fingers run over the glass covered phials and syringes.

“Yeah... few minor upgrades here and there, but there haven’t been any groundbreaking advances in the science of curing sick people yet, so we didn’t really need to change anything.”

You rested your butt against one of the beds and took a moment to relax in the strangely familiar atmosphere.

“Besides,”

You startled as he leaned on the bed from the other side behind you, your faces on the same height once more. “I think the current equipment serves just fine.”

You chuckled and moved away from the bed, back out and towards the sleeping quarters. Leonard followed, silently taking in the sight of you back on the ship, granted the warm glow inside his chest to expand and make him smile when you had your back turned to him.

“What happened to my room? What’s it like in there now?” You stopped by the door with a blue square and a number next to it. You narrowed your eyes at the small shape.

“Who of the medical team got it after I moved out?”

With the clearing of his throat, Leonard leaned around you and pressed his hand to where the doorknob was hidden in the smooth surface. After the sensory field had scanned his hand, the knob rose from within the door and he opened it.

You laughed.

“Didn’t think you’d give up your luxury, eight square metres of private quarters reserved for medical staff for equally luxurious, eight square metres of private quarters reserved for medical staff, at the other side of the corridor.”

“Has its perks.” He lifted a hand and scratched the back of his head when you moved past him and inside your old quarters. “The view is definitely better.”

He leaned on the other side of the small window that showed a patch of the docks outside, but when you looked up at him with a smirk he wasn’t looking outside.

“Shut up.” You shook your head at him and turned away to take in more of the room, while he leaned his back against the wall and smiled to himself.

“When exactly are you leaving tomorrow?” You inquired, running a finger down the creases in the wall that showed where a desk could be folded out of it. A look back over your shoulder told you Leonard was still looking at you. At your question he furrowed his brows and ran his hands over his face.

“Ahh, let me think... In about twelve hours, I guess. Earth time, obviously.”

“Hmm....” Pause. “Thanks for allowing me to take another look.”

“Any time.”

You fell silent again, not knowing where to go from now.

“How long will you be here?” Leonard asked, and you were glad about the distraction.

“We arrived just today, so we might stay a while. A shame we didn’t get here sooner, I’d love to catch up with everyone.” You balled your hand into a fist and lifted your eyes to the ceiling where, many stories above, the bridge was.

He finally pushed off the wall and came towards you, and, guessing he did so to escort you out, you mentally readied yourself to leave.

“I’m sure the others would have appreciated that, too.” He stopped by your side, still a step away from the door, and when you turned your face to meet his eyes, you suddenly were aware of the limited space between you and how he was grinding his teeth.

“Say it.” You encouraged him, seeing how he was struggling with his words. He cast his eyes down to the floor, his hands in his pants’ pockets. After glancing up again, he took a breath.

“Please stay the night.”

To say it took you off guard would have been a lie, but you were still pleasantly surprised.

After keeping eye contact for a moment longer, you closed the short distance to the door with two steps, carefully closing it before leaning against it.

“I’d love to.”

There was nothing but calm, delicate love in your voice, and you smiled up at him when he offered his hands for you to take. Instead of directing them to his side, he guided them to the collar of his jacket, not pressuring, still leaving you the option of pulling away.

You weren’t sure when you had made the decision, but it didn’t matter. When you ran a hand along his jaw to the back of his head, to pull him down to your height, you were certain of what you were doing.

Time apart had changed your perspective, and the knowledge of him being gone for who knew how long in just a few hours – it made your decision that more certain, made the wish to spend as much time as possible with him a bit greater still.

He was liquid under your fingertips, answering your touches but nothing more. He was waiting, waiting for you to come back to him when you had ran away before. He welcomed you back, and at the same time was ready to let you go freely if you wanted. A gentle tug on the soft hair was enough for him to lower his head until your foreheads connected and your noses touched.

“I missed you.” He rumbled, voice thick and deep as he covered the hand of yours that was lying at the side of his face with his own.

“I’ve missed you, too.” You breathed it and closed your eyes, feeling the butterflies dancing in your stomach.

You sensed him smile, and when his other hand combed through the hair behind your temple you closed the gap between the two of you and gently touched your lips to his.

It felt so good to be done with playing cat and mouse, to release the tension that had built up for months and years of not seeing and then running into each other. It felt strange, and new and good, and for a moment all you did was carefully testing how far the other one was willing to go, breaking and reconnecting lips with each try, before his line of defence cracked and his tongue briefly flicked over the smooth skin of your lips. Leonard moved, stumbled backwards, almost broke the kiss as he sat down on his bed, and then it was you who needed to bend down.

You stood between his legs, lower arms placed on his shoulders, and ran your fingernails over the back of his scalp.

His lips pulled into a smile, which made it difficult to continue the almost innocent kisses, and after another moment you pulled back, smiling as well.

“What?”

He opened his eyes to look up at you, and the adoration in them made your breath falter.

“God, I’ve missed you.”

He tugged until you were lying down with him, on your side next to his, and for a while he only ran his hand through your hair, taking in the sight of you.

When he moved forward and kissed you again, he mumbled words against your lips. Instead of asking what he had said you tugged at his side, making him roll on his stomach and moving you on your back, him half on top of you.

“Love you too, Leonard.” You whispered, as his lips touched the sensitive skin on your neck, and you let your eyes fall close at the pleasurable sensation they set free.**

 

* * *

 

 

Consciousness dawned on you, but you were warm, breathing in a sweet scent, and there was a warm body nestled in all the right dips and hollows of your own one.

A soft noise of comfort left you as you yawned and stretched your arms. When you placed them back down the blanket slipped off your shoulder, and even though there was still something covering it you shivered from the chilly touch of air.

“Hrrm.” A voice behind you grumbled, and a heavy arm over your middle tensed and readjusted.

More awake now you turned your face from the ceiling away to your side.

Leonards hair was ruffled and spikes stood out into every direction. His face was resting on the edge of his pillow, from which you had taken the larger part, and his features were relaxed and still lost in sleep.

You’d have liked to stay here just a moment longer, admiring the way a bit of sunlight from outside, falling into the dock and reflecting through the window, made his dark hair have a touch of brown. How it highlighted the greying parts, and how it suited him in some way.

Your bladder made it impossible to remain, so you carefully lifted his muscled arm and stole away into the small, attached bathroom. After re-entering, you sat down on the corner of the mattress, observing how he had sprawled out over the whole bed in the short time of your absence.

His broad chest rose and fell with each breath, and it took you some time before you were able to look away and ready yourself to move, out and away.

Just when you were about to get up, a warm, large hand placed itself on your hip.

“Don’t leave yet.” He said, and his deep raspy voice made it that much more endearing to hear it.

You let him pull you back down, let him cover you with the blanket and wrapped an arm around his side when he pulled you close.

The scent of the past night in the bar was almost gone from his skin, nothing but his natural odour remaining, and you rested your head against his chest, gently touching your nose to it, and breathed quietly.

“Stop that.” He said lazily, after you had blinked a few times.

“Stop what?” Amused, you lifted your head to look at him.

He rolled on his back and scratched the area where your head had been, spying at you from narrow eyes.

“Tickles.” Was all he said, before rolling over and placing his head on your chest. Chuckling was difficult with its weight pressing down on you, but you retorted to smiling and hugged your arms around his neck and upper shoulders.

“How long ‘till I’ll have to go?” You asked, after spending another few minutes staring at the glimmering spots that some polished metal part outside threw on the ceiling of the room.

“Don’t care.” He answered, curling around your body and touching his stomach to your side.

He blinked up to you, and the calm love and affection on his face made you smile.

“You look beautiful.” You said quietly, brushing your thumb along his cheekbone and pressing a kiss into his hair. He cast his eyes downwards and made a sound, half disagreeing, half flattered.

“Not as much as you.”

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> * Hyperiolongitis: A fictional disease which’s affects on the infected are up to the Reader to decide 
> 
> ** A note added from Dr. Leonard H. McCoy:  
> "Always use a condom when practicing intercourse, unrelated to the member of the species you are getting it on with. I could list all the negative side effects I’ve seen in MedBay right here due to some idiots who thought they could get away without it, but the editor didn’t allow it. Let me tell you space holds more diseases than you got hairs, so do us all a favour and protect you, your partner and your local Doctor the next time you get it going. I won’t be responsible if you turn up with *********, ********* or ********, explaining how you ‘just wanted to do a bit of exploring’ and ended up getting *********. This is your responsibility, so for the love of god, use protection!"
> 
> This note has been slightly altered to fit the guidelines of this platform.
> 
> 'nother chapter because inspiration kept flowing and I am now in love with Bones :3


End file.
